Risk Factors Associated with Peer Victimization and Bystander Behaviors among Adolescent Students

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of the phenomena of peer victimization and bystander behaviors, little data has generated to describe their relationships and risk factors. In this paper, a self-administered survey using a cross-sectional cluster-random sampling method in a sample of 5450 participants (2734 girls and 2716 boys) between 4th and 11th grades was conducted at six schools (two primary schools and four middle schools) located in Shantou, China. Self-reported peer victimization, bystander behaviors and information regarding parents’ risky behaviors and individual behavioral factors were collected. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was applied to evaluate risk factors affecting peer victimization and bystander behaviors. The results indicated that urban participants were more likely to become bullying victims but less likely to become passive bystanders. Contrarily, bullying victimization was related to the increasing of passive bystander behaviors. Father drinking and mother smoking as independent factors were risk factors for peer victimization. Participants who were smoking or drinking had a tendency to be involved in both peer victimization and passive bystander behaviors. This study suggested that bystander behaviors, victims’ and parents’ educations play a more important role in peer victimization than previously thought.

School Bullying in Urban China: Prevalence and Correlation with School Climate

“…The reported incidences of being the bully perpetrator were much lower than the reported victimization, about half in most studies if they had this indicator, similar to our survey. One study of the reported incidence of witnessing bullying from Fujian Province was 27.91% [ 28 ], similar to our results. Therefore, we estimate that the prevalence of school bullying among Chinese adolescents is around 20%, and the reported perpetration should be lower than the reported victimization because the collectivism-oriented culture would not encourage such behavior.…”

“…These differences of prevalence indicate the ambiguousness and uniqueness of the school bullying phenomena in Mainland China. Besides the studies from Hong Kong [ 20 ], Taiwan [ 21 , 22 ] and Macau [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ], which are relatively different from Mainland China, most of the school bullying studies from Mainland China only used data from a small area, such as Beijing [ 27 ], Fujian [ 28 ], Guangdong [ 29 , 30 , 31 ], Xi’an [ 32 ], or unidentified central [ 33 ] or southwest China [ 34 ]. Two studies using national data were identified.…”

Investigation of the bystander effect in school bullying: Comparison of experiential, psychological and situational factors

“…Although the number of perpetrators and victims has been reduced, previous studies performed in South Korea have indicated that the majority of bystanders who were witnesses to bullying either acted passively or ignored the event (Nam & Hong, 2015;Oh, 2010;Seo, 2015). Similar findings from a number of studies including cross-national studies have been observed in various countries such as China (Huang et al, 2016), Taiwan (Hokoda, Lu, & Angeles, 2006), Japan and England (Kanetsuna & Smith, 2002), Singapore and Italy (Pozzoli, Ang, & Gini, 2012) and Australia (Rigby & Johnson, 2006). This suggests the need for an educational intervention for students who witness acts of bullying.…”

Health and Risk Behaviors of Bystanders: An Integrative Theoretical Model of Bystanders’ Reactions to Mistreatment

“…We posit that such behavior is more prevalent among individuals with low potency, who do not believe in a just world or in an orderly, just society [ 36 ], as well as in their own ability to make the world just. Additionally, that these individuals have a low inventory of social resources, such as family and neighborhood social resources [ 14 , 15 ], becomes a risk factor for engaging in perpetration of bullying [ 36 ].…”

“…Indirect victimization was found to be associated with social resources, such as household socioeconomic status and parental efficacy. It is also associated with personal attributes, such as self-perceived ability to avoid violence and former experiences with bullying [ 15 ]. However, there is not yet any theoretical model suggesting a framework for understanding the process of bystanders’ victimization.…”